The Slider (Boys of Summer Book 5)

by A. M. Williams

  “We didn’t realize you were dating someone,” Mom said.

  I winced, glancing at Zoe as I answered. “I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure it was something worth mentioning. We haven’t talked recently, so I hadn’t had a chance to tell you about her.”

  An uncomfortable silence stretched between us.

  “We were about to order takeout, if you’d like to join us?” I asked, hoping to break the tension.

  “That sounds lovely, dear,” Mom said, smiling at me, then Zoe. “We still need to check into our hotel, though. So why don’t you order in about twenty minutes and we can pick it up?”

  Dad shot Mom a glare, and I knew he likely wanted to stick around, talk to me about my injury, see what I was thinking.

  But Mom was always perceptive, and I caught her looks at Zoe. I hoped that meant she wanted to give us a chance to get ourselves together, and not that she wasn’t a fan of my girlfriend.

  “We’ll see ourselves out. Let us know what you’re ordering and where to get it.”

  Mom kissed me on the cheek, nodded to Zoe, then ushered my dad out.

  Once the door closed behind them, I allowed myself to relax.

  “Fuck,” I said, scrubbing a hand over my face. “I’m glad I haven’t given them a key to this place yet.”

  Zoe let out a strangled laugh. “You’re telling me. I would have died if they’d walked in while your dick was in my mouth.”

  I looked at Zoe and hopped closer to her, putting one arm around her shoulder. I pressed a kiss to her head. “I’m sorry about them showing up out of the blue. We’d talked about them visiting, but they hadn’t told me they’d picked dates. I’m guessing my getting injured made them decide to just come.”

  “It’s fine.” Zoe sighed. “Just awkward.”

  Awkward was an understatement. I never wanted something like this to happen again. Like I said, though, at least they hadn’t shown a few minutes earlier when I was getting my dick sucked. That would have been ten times worse in my book.

  “Right. What are you thinking for dinner? I know my parents' orders, so anything you want is yours.”

  My parents showed back up an hour after they’d arrived with Chinese takeout in hand. My table was only meant for two people, so we all opted to eat in the living room with the television on low.

  No one was talking as we ate. I’d like to think we were just enjoying how good it was, but the hard set of my dad’s shoulders said that wasn’t so.

  I glanced at Zoe; she was picking at her food. I sighed. My parents weren’t usually this closed off with people, so I could only guess that it had something to do with seeing me date someone so quickly after my divorce had been finalized. And how much they didn’t like Lexi at the end.

  I cleared my throat. “Mom, you know that coffee shop you like to go to here?”

  She looked at me and nodded. “The Java Hut?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one.” I shot a look at Zoe; she was staring at me wide eyed. “Zoe’s parents own it.”

  Mom looked at Zoe. “Really? Do you work there, too?”

  Zoe shot me a look before nodding. “Yes, ma’am. I used to work full time there, but don’t currently. However, I’ll be starting back full-time soon. Hopefully, in the next few years, I’ll fully take over the shop for them.”

  “Really? That’s impressive,” Dad said, joining the conversation.

  As they chatted about the coffee shop, I thought about what she’d just said about her starting work full-time soon.

  She hadn’t mentioned anything about the bank, but now that I knew she worked at the same branch as Lexi, I couldn’t see her continuing to work there unless something changed.

  The thought of the two of them being in the same area now made my stomach hurt. I didn’t love the idea that they’d been working together before I found out, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it now.

  It was obvious Zoe had survived.

  I just didn’t know if that would continue. Lexi was vindictive enough; I could see her trying to push Zoe out.

  I hated her for that.

  “Son,” Dad said, breaking into my thoughts.

  I looked at him, then quickly glanced at Zoe and Mom. Their heads were bent close together and some of my tension melted away. One parent down, one to go.

  “How are you doing with your injury?” Dad asked.

  I shrugged. “As well as can be at this point. It was a clean break, and they don’t think I’ll need surgery. Six to eight weeks in a cast, then some physical therapy.”

  “No more baseball this season?”

  I shook my head. “Most likely, no. Even if they made it to the championship, it’s unlikely I’d get playing time.”

  Dad sighed. “Any word on a renewal?”

  I winced. My dad and I bonded over baseball when I was younger. And when it became obvious that I was better than your average player and might make it to the Big Team, that bond deepened.

  I got why he was asking; he’d been with me every step of the way to get to where I was. I just wasn’t sure how’d he’d take the news that I was considering not playing ball anymore.

  “Nothing yet,” I admitted. “But I have a call with my agent tomorrow. We’ll be discussing options.”

  “Does he have any idea if you’ll be traded or be a free agent?”

  I shifted in my seat and stuffed a bite of General Tso’s chicken into my mouth to give me a moment to figure out how to say what I was going to say next.

  I slowly chewed and swallowed. Then I cleared my throat.

  “As far as I know, no. But…” I trailed off, glancing at my mother and Zoe, both of whom were looking at me.

  Zoe smiled at me, and I tried to draw strength from that. “I’m not sure I want to have my contract renewed or go to another team.”

  Silence. The only sound in the apartment was that of the television in the background.

  Dad stared at me, his eyes wide, while Mom’s gaze pinged between the two of us. I didn’t have to look at Zoe to know that she was waiting and watching to see what would happen next.

  “Why?” Dad finally rasped. “Why don’t you want to renew?”

  I sighed and explained my reasons.

  When I finished, Dad stared at me and Mom sniffled.

  I met her watery gaze. “You okay?” I asked her, wishing I could move to sit beside her, but with my ankle in the cast, I couldn’t get myself down there and back up.

  She nodded. “I am. I’m just happy to know that you’ve finally found the happiness I’ve wanted for you for so long.”

  Dad sighed, and I looked at him. He rubbed a hand over his face, and when he moved it, I could see how tired he was.

  “If this is what you want, then we’ll support you. You know that. I just don’t want you throwing your dream away.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not. I’m fortunate enough to have played for a great team. But I can tell that it’s time for me to move to my next phase in life. I’m happy here and I want to see Noah do great things.”

  “Who is Noah?” Mom asked.

  Zoe was the one who answered. “He’s my nephew. I have guardianship of him.”

  Mom glanced at Zoe, tilting her head. “You do?”

  Zoe nodded, shooting me and my dad a quick glance before looking back at my mom. “Yes, ma’am. He’s my sister’s son, but she died a few years ago.”

  Mom winced. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She cleared her throat. “He plays baseball?”

  Zoe nodded. “He does. And he and Jacob are becoming fast friends. They’ve been to the batting cage a few times in the last few weeks.”

  I shrugged. “He’s an excellent player and I enjoy helping him get better.”

  With that, we moved on to easier topics, my parents talking to Zoe about Noah and what she wanted to do with the Java Hut.

  By the time they left for the night, I was feeling pretty good about how that meeting had gone.

  Barring their timing showi
ng up, I was glad they’d come. I'd needed to see them, and I knew they'd needed to see me, too.

  And as far as me no longer playing ball, the cat was out of the bag. So now I just had to find a job and let my agent know I was done.

  40

  Zoe

  “Where have you been this morning?” Liv asked as I slipped into my chair.

  I glanced at her, but said nothing. There were a lot of people waiting in line. I’d have to tell her I handed in my resignation later.

  After Jacob was injured and I met Lexi at the hospital, I thought about what I’d talked about with my mom. There was no way I could continue working at the bank with Lexi here.

  I enjoyed the work for the most part because it was easy, but that was it. I didn’t love what I did. I didn’t have a passion for it. And staying here wasn’t doing anything for me.

  What did do something for me was helping my parents at the Java Hut.

  I’d got the job at the bank to try something new and prove to myself that I wasn’t just going along with what others wanted for me.

  And while I’d enjoyed it, I needed to do something I was passionate about.

  The line of customers finally died, and Liv rolled closer to me.

  “Girl, what’s up? You were supposed to be on like an hour ago!” she hissed.

  I glanced around, making sure no one was near. I dropped my voice low. “I was talking to the manager.”

  Liv sucked in a breath and stared at me with wide eyes. “What? Why?”

  “Can we talk about this at lunch? I’m uncomfortable discussing it with so many people around.”

  Liv nodded. “You bet your ass we’re discussing it at lunch.”

  She rolled back to her spot, shooting me another look as she pulled her book out.

  I pulled my book out and glanced around the bank. It was an open plan, which meant I could see the doors to all the offices, the customer service area, plus the lobby where customers waited.

  It had an understated elegance to it, with wainscoting along the walls, dark wood furniture, and soft classical music playing in the background.

  It was nice.

  But that’s all it was. It didn’t have personality. Sure, some customers came here because of the people, but otherwise, there was nothing to set it apart from other banks.

  That was likely a weird thought to have about a bank, but I couldn’t help it.

  When I thought of the Java Hut, I thought of how unique it was. How people loved that it was quirky. We made great coffee and had a nerdy flair.

  It kept people coming back again and again.

  I wasn’t sure you could do something like that with a bank.

  I was flipping my book open when an office door opened across from me.

  I stiffened as Lexi stepped out.

  I tracked her as she walked across the open space toward her office, her high heels clicking on the tile as she went.

  When she was almost to the door, she glanced over her shoulder and met my gaze.

  Though she wasn’t the friendliest person I’d met at the bank, she wasn’t normally a total bitch. She’d smile and say something if she saw you.

  But I didn’t get that today. I got a glare that would have set me on fire if looks could kill.

  She walked into her office and slammed the door.

  I blew out a breath.

  “Yikes,” Liv muttered.

  I caught her wide-eyed stare. I tried to grin, but was sure it fell short.

  With one last lingering look, she turned back to her book. I looked at my own, trying to push Lexi and the events of the weekend from my mind.

  “Girl, spill.” Liv dropped to the bench across from me, popping open her container. “What the hell was up earlier?”

  We were alone outside, but I still lowered my voice.

  “Jacob was injured this weekend.”

  Liv sucked in a breath. “He was? Is he okay?”

  I shrugged. He was okay for the most part, but he was still injured.

  “He broke his ankle.”

  Liv grimaced. “That sucks.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. But that’s not all of it.”

  Liv’s eyes widened. “What else happened?”

  “I met his ex-wife.”

  She sucked in a breath. “You did?” she breathed.

  I nodded and speared Liv with a look. “You knew, didn’t you?”

  She grimaced and nodded. “Yeah. I was going to tell you, but I never got the chance. Or I forgot. Sorry.”

  I shrugged. “It’s not a huge deal. But she was a raging bitch. Barred me from his room on Sunday, and blocked me on his phone.”

  “What?”

  I nodded and filled her in on what Jacob told me. By the time I was finished, Liv had eaten none of her lunch and was staring at me in shock.

  “She really did all that?”

  I nodded and stabbed a piece of lettuce with my fork. “Yep.” I shook my head at the memory of her barring me from Jacob’s room. “I didn’t even know what to do or say when she said I was on the banned list of visitors. So I left.”

  “At least he set her straight,” Liv said. “I met him a few times when they were married, and he came to events at the bank. Their dynamic was always odd.”

  “How so?”

  She shrugged. “It’s hard to explain. Lexi is so put together, and… on it, if that makes sense.”

  I nodded because it did. Lexi always struck me as someone who had something to prove. She always looked good.

  “Jacob always struck me as pretty straightforward and down to Earth. He was super nice whenever I’ve talked to him,” Liv continued, then paused, sighing. “With that happening this weekend, what does that mean for you here?”

  I dropped my gaze to my salad, pushing my lettuce around instead of answering.

  “That’s why you were late getting to your station this morning, wasn’t it?” Liv asked. “You were resigning.”

  I nodded and looked up at her. “Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything ahead of time. I decided so quickly. I just know I can’t work here with her.”

  I shook my head. “And I realized that I just don’t like working here. I love that I met you and you became my friend, but I can’t see myself staying here for however many more years. My parents want me to take over their business, and I want to as well.”

  Liv sighed. “I get it. I don’t like it because I won’t see you every day now, but I totally get it.”

  We sat in silence for several minutes before she asked, “What business do your parents own?”

  “Java Hut.”

  Liv sucked in a breath, and I glanced up. She looked shocked. “What?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. They started it in the nineties. They want me to take over.”

  Liv made a noise in her throat. “I love that place! Why haven’t I seen you in there?”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I’ve not been working there as much since I started here. But I will be soon once I finish my time here.”

  Liv smiled. “So I get to keep seeing you. Rock on. You’re never getting rid of me now.”

  I’d barely kicked my heels off and taken a step from the door when there was a knock.

  I groaned at the sound.

  Noah was with my parents while Jacob’s parents took him out to dinner. I was looking forward to an evening with my bottle of wine and pizza rolls before Noah was dropped off later.

  Another knock sounded at the door and I forced myself to turn around to answer it.

  Maybe I’d get lucky and it would be a delivery of wine and chocolate. Then I could forgo the pizza rolls.

  I pulled the door open and froze.

  “Surprise!” Callie said, doing jazz hands. “We heard you resigned today and that you’d be alone, so we thought we’d do an impromptu girls' night with you.”

  I stared at her, then the other girls behind her. As much as I’d been looking forward to a night alone, I could get behind a girls' night, too.

&nb
sp; I backed up. “Come on in. I’m going to run upstairs and change.”

  Callie shooed me up the stairs and I listened to the indistinct chatter of my new friends until I got to my room.

  I quickly changed, washed my face, and sighed as I slipped some socks on.

  There was nothing quite like relaxing at the end of the day.

  I jogged back downstairs and found everyone in the kitchen.

  Pizza boxes were already open on the counter, a stack of paper plates next to it. Emma was opening a bottle of wine—thank God!—and Preston was pouring water.

  “Remember, hydration. We don’t want to be sloppy,” Preston said, pressing a glass of water into my hands.

  We all laughed and I grabbed a plate before loading up on greasy pizza.

  None of us talked for several minutes while we ate and the stress from earlier melted away.

  As I reached for my second piece, Charlotte broke the silence. “So, we already know you resigned today. How did that go? Any issues?”

  I shook my head. “Nah. The manager was shocked at my resignation, but that’s not surprising. I’d given no indication I wasn’t happy.”

  “Were you unhappy?” Emma asked.

  I shrugged. “Not really? But I wasn’t exactly happy either.”

  “What was it like working with Lexi?” Callie asked.

  I took another bite of pizza as I considered my answer. “Honestly, until the showdown at the hospital, I’d never had a run in with her. She was my ‘mentor’ the first day, but after that, I never dealt with her. There was one day that she ate with me that I thought was weird. But otherwise, nothing.”

  “That seems weird,” Preston said, glancing at our friends. “I never met her, but from what I’ve heard, she’s always been very in your face if something happens that she doesn’t like.”

  Emma nodded. “I’m thankful I only met her a handful of times, but I had to work closely with her for that fundraiser. She was great at her job, but very… demanding.”

  “That fundraiser was great, though,” I told her.

  She nodded. “I know. Because she cracked the whip about a few things. That works well in the workforce, but if she was like that while married…”